What is the Western perception of Chinese art, architecture and urbanism?

From the Curator’s Statement:

“Divergent Convergence will, for the first time, collect in a single exhibition the work of students and researchers from across American architecture schools, produced over the past decade. Projects will range in scale from individual works of architecture to proposals on an urban scale. More specifically, the selected projects will illustrate the responses of students and researchers to a series of questions critically relevant to the Chinese city today: How can architecture adapt to a hyper-compressed design and construction schedule? Should ancient neighborhoods be demolished to make way for new construction? Can cities accommodate rapid demographic change without opening up irreparable social rifts? How dense should cities become? How can sustainability be achieved in the context of increased industrial production? Ultimately, this multiplicity of investigative angles will constitute an in-depth study of Chinese urbanism and architecture in the context both of global economy and local culture . . .”

Press Release:

“Divergent Convergence” is an unprecedented exhibition of how America’s next generation of design leaders see China. The exhibition displays the work of students and researchers from 15 premier architecture programs including the University of Southern California, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Yale University, and Princeton University.

“Divergent Convergence” will be shown at the Beijing Urban Planning Centre, August 23 – September 20, 2009. The Centre is located at 60 South Lishi Road, Xicheng District 10045, near Tiananmen Square.

Qingyun Ma, dean of the USC School of Architecture and founder of the American Academy in China created “Divergent Convergence.” Joesph Grima is the curator for the exhibition. Renowned architects, academics and theorists including Rem Koolhaas, Zaha Hadid, and Thom Mayne are involved as academic advisors. “Divergent Convergence” is the capstone of AAC’s summer program in China — dedicated to building bridges between China and the United States.

Selected projects illustrate the responses of students and researchers to a series of questions critically relevant to the Chinese city today, such as: How can architecture adapt to a hyper-compressed design and construction schedule? Should ancient neighborhoods be demolished to make way for new construction? Can cities accommodate rapid demographic change without opening up irreparable social rifts?

The 100 student responses to these questions will be on display in the form of drawings and text printed on translucent film shown atop lighted tables, offering the public a unique opportunity to view conceptual work from top architectural programs in a landmark space.

According to Dean Ma, “This exhibition is long overdue. Urban problems are never simply local, and solutions for current urban China have to be investigated by multiple minds. Aside from the China content, ‘Divergent Convergence’ creates an event that is cross-cultural, cross-institutional, and across minds–elements critical to urban culture, regardless of locality. Education is a business for the future; therefore, the effectiveness of putting Western universities’ work in front of Chinese eyes will only be amplified as time passes, and as our exhibition repeats in the future.”

“Divergent Convergence” is created by Dean Qingyun Ma, AIA, Dean of the USC School of Architecture. Born in Xi’an, Dean Ma earned a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering in Architecture from Tsinghua University. In 1996, Dean Ma founded the renowned design firm MADA s.p.a.m. in Beijing, which has given us Qingpu Community Island in Shanghai and the Centennial TV and Radio Center in Xi’an, among other industrial and commercial projects.

The exhibition curator is Joseph Grima, Director of the Storefront for Art and Architecture in New York City. Mr. Grima is a New York-based architect and researcher who recently published the book, “Instant Asia: Fast Forward through the Architecture of a Changing Continent” (Skira, 2008), a guide to emerging Asian architects in collaboration with photographer Gaia Cambiaggi.